These posts are written for learners of English themselves. Find learning tips and ideas for learning English.

For Students

Did you know that the writers who create Ellii lessons and resources are all English teachers or former teachers?

That&#39;s just one of the reasons we love receiving poetry, stories, and paragraphs&nbsp;that students write while doing Ellii lessons.&nbsp;

In our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1885" target="_blank">Remembrance Day / Veterans Day lesson</a>, we challenge students to write acrostic poetry and share it with our team. Check out this year&#39;s submissions as well as the poems from years past.

<h2>2025 Student Poetry&nbsp;</h2>

This year&#39;s submission is from Eyerusalem Hailu at the Bickford Centre in Alison Clarke&#39;s class: Essential Skills Upgrading program,&nbsp;Toronto District School Board

<blockquote>
Remember the brave who gave their lives. 
Every moment was unforgettable. 
Memory and admiration bring tears. 
Energy for us to go forward. 
Meaningful for everyone of us. 
Recall again and again their sacrifice. 
Admire the people who sacrificed their lives. 
Never forget what they did for us. 
Celebrate every year on November 11th. 
Excited to be a part of this incredible Day. 
&nbsp;
</blockquote>

<h2>2024 Student Poetry</h2>

Here is a new poem submitted by Bryna Gerakos, an ESL Instructor at Hudson Adult Learning Center

<blockquote>
Veterans, we are 
Eternally grateful 
To you 
Excellent service 
Remembering and honoring you 
And we will 
Never forget you 
So, thank you very much!

By Gabriela Sanchez, Johanna Ortega, Dunia Caal, and Lin Yangzheng.
</blockquote>

&nbsp;

<h2>2023 Student Poetry</h2>

Here is a new poem that was submitted by Ms. Anderson&#39;s 4th Period Intermediate ELD Class:

<blockquote>
Memories of Silence for Their Sacrifice 

Remember the lives of soldiers

Everything stops for

Memories of silence

Enormous Alliance

Moments before disaster

Bullet dodging when Death calls your name

Remember the lives of the soldiers who sacrificed

Anniversary of the soldiers who fought for peace

November 11th is the Day of Remembrance

Color of poppies reminds &quot;we kept this promise&quot;

Everything for peace
</blockquote>

<hr />
And here is a poem that was submitted by Ms. Anderson&#39;s 6th Period Intermediate ELD Class:

<blockquote>
 
Peace for Veterans 

Represents all the soldiers globally

Every soldier that fought in War

Memories of lost ones

Event for remembering the veterans that fought for peace

Memorial is a way to remember someone

Be polite to Veterans

Remembering our loved ones

Allied forces fought for our peace

No veterans should be disrespected

Celebrate memories with loved ones

End war
</blockquote>

<h2>2022 Student Poetry</h2>

We love these moving acrostic poems we received&nbsp;from Betul Ozer Budak&#39;s LBS (Literacy and Basic Skills)&nbsp;class.

<h3>Poem #1</h3>

<blockquote>
Veterans Day...

Every November, we remember.

Trumpets play &quot;Last Post&quot; ...

Eleven o&#39;clock: a moment of silence ...

Red poppies people wear

After the war, people were happy but

Never forget the soldiers who died

Soldiers who fight ...

By Asmae Dadi, Ebtesam Rashed, and&nbsp;Helen Ada
</blockquote>

<h3>Poem #2</h3>

<blockquote>
Poppies everywhere

On our hearts

People&#39;s stories

Poppies everywhere

Yesterday&#39;s memories

By&nbsp;Ebtesam Rashed and&nbsp;Helen Ada
</blockquote>

<h3>Poem #3</h3>

<blockquote>
Remembrance

Every year we remember them.

Many soldiers died in the war.

Every 11 November is Remembrance Day.

Many people have a ceremony.

Birds of peace carrying olive branches

Remind us the young soldiers.

At 11 o&#39;clock the war ended but

Nobody forgot the soldiers.

Ceremonies we have for them;

Each of us is proud of them...

By&nbsp;Aisha Ankaa,&nbsp;Cuc Thi Nguyen, and&nbsp;Ebtesam Rashed
</blockquote>

Here are a few wonderful Remembrance Day poems from Kosta Stojanovic&#39;s LINC 4/5 class at Coll&egrave;ge Bor&eacute;al in Toronto, Canada.

<h3>Poem #4</h3>

<blockquote>
Red poppies bloom on each breast

Earth remembers it&#39;s heroes

Many great-grandparents were there

Every soldier lives to wonder why

Memories of War that never stray

But someone is shooting again and again

Remembrance poppies are red, not signifying blood of soldiers

And their stories never see the light of day

Need of peace is worldwide

Children want to live in love

Every day can be better,&nbsp;if everyone has remembrance

By Elvira Shootca
</blockquote>

<h3>Poem #5</h3>

<blockquote>
Raise your head off the ground

Everyone is proud of you

My heart is like a galaxy

Even though you&#39;re not here I feel you

My heart belongs to you

Breathe in the morning of victory

Raging about war

Army protect the people

Never make me feel sad

Ceremony for your courage

Everyone will always remember

By Mandana Hodhodynejad
</blockquote>

<h3>Poem #6</h3>

<blockquote>
Rmember our soldiers

Enlist the soldiers

Making our world into peace

Everyone who died in the wars

Memorial never forget

Brothers who bled just

Respect our fallen soldiers

Armistice day

November 11th armed weapons fall silent

Celebrate the soldiers

Enjoy freedom in happiness and peace

By Dilek Tas
</blockquote>

<h2>2021 Student Poetry</h2>

<h3>Poem #1</h3>

This beautiful acrostic poem was sent in by Sherry and&nbsp;Kathleen&#39;s class:&nbsp;

<blockquote>
Vests of soldiers carry valued human beings

Emotions of appreciation echo when we commemorate every year on November 11

Treasures you have done for us are countless as we are free

Echos of your contributions are hard to describe out loud.

Remembering you veterans

Appreciating your efforts

Nations will never forget you for

Sacrificing your lives to give us freedom.

By Antonio, Cecilia, Huda, Jingyuan, and Yunyi
</blockquote>

<h3>Poem #2</h3>

Here&#39;s another poem that was submitted by an intermediate LINC class.

<img alt="Remembrance Day Poem by LINC students" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1879/content_Remembrance-Day-Poem.jpg" />

<h2>2020 Student Poetry</h2>

Here are some poetry submissions we received in November 2020 from a low-intermediate&nbsp;LINC class in Toronto, Ontario. Thank you to Kosta and his class for sharing this writing with us!

<h3>Poem #1</h3>

<blockquote>
<h3>Remembrance Day</h3>

Essential day

Many people lost a loved one

Ended of the war must be done

Be peaceful, remember the war

Against the war, no more the war

Celebrate the peace

Everyone will be happy

By Momoko, Anibal and Zhi Sheng
</blockquote>

<h3>Poem #2&nbsp;</h3>

<blockquote>
<h3>Very important</h3>

Eating and drinking

Tomorrow it&#39;ll&nbsp;be coming

Email to me

Remember it

Answer and reply

Notice it on your calendar

Send it to me

By Coco
</blockquote>

<h3>Poem #3</h3>

<blockquote>
<h3>Remembering our veterans</h3>

Enormous respect

Many left behind the family who were

Eager to see them again

More peace, no war

By wearing the poppy we remember,

Each that fell

Rising like the sun every day

Don&#39;t forget them

Anually we honour the past

Yesterday is not forgotten

By Milena Nessi
</blockquote>

<h2>Poem #4</h2>

<blockquote>
Red color

Email me

May I have&nbsp;

Enough for me

Many years

Best of luck

Raise your hand

At a time

Never mind

Call me

Excellent place

By Israt, Alice, and Coco
</blockquote>

<h2>Poem #5</h2>

<blockquote>
Voters are protesting

Eat your food

Trumpet is a bass horn

End your day in a happy way

Remembrance Day is a poppy day

Are you okay

No one here

Can you hear?

By Rania, Gadha, and Milena
</blockquote>

<h2>Pronunciation Work</h2>

Here is some pronunciation work these writers did while working on their poetry from our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons">Holidays &amp; Events</a> lesson. We&#39;re so happy to see students working with <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/130/lessons/3352">pronunciation symbols</a>. We&nbsp;hope you&#39;re enjoying our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/130/lessons">Pronunciation</a> lessons, too.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1070/content_Screen_Shot_2020-11-26_at_4.22.13_PM.png" />

Keep up the great work, LINC class! And most importantly, thank you for remembering our veterans.

<h2>&nbsp;</h2>

Student Poetry for Remembrance Day / Veterans Day

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A learning journal is a personal record of the past, present, and future of your learning. It&#39;s a great way to look back at how much you&#39;ve learned, think about what works best for you, and plan ways to learn even more in the future. You can also use it to note down how you felt doing different tasks or activities.&nbsp;

This blog post shares some ways that you can use a learning journal for your English language learning.&nbsp;

<h2>1. Planning</h2>

Planning your learning helps you to know what you need to do&mdash;and do it!

Use your journal to:

<ul>
	<li>note your schedule for the day, week, or month</li>
	<li>list&nbsp;your homework tasks (and check them off when you finish them!)</li>
	<li>write down your goals (and take notes of ways to achieve them)</li>
</ul>

Each day, week, or month, ask yourself:

<ul>
	<li>What do I want to do?</li>
	<li>How can I do it?</li>
	<li>What can I do better?</li>
</ul>

Take notes and&nbsp;do the work. Then, in the future, read your notes again and&nbsp;look back at how you have changed!

<h2>2. Tracking progress</h2>

Ellii helps you to plan and track your learning. But having a paper journal is a great way to think about this over a period of time.

At the end of each class, you could think about how confident you feel. Give yourself a number from 1 (not confident) to 10 (very confident). Write this down on one page of your journal. Over time, you will&nbsp;see the numbers changing!

You can also draw a rocket to the moon and some stars in your journal. The moon is where you want your English&nbsp;to be&nbsp;(for example, B2 level). Give each star a goal (for example, get confident with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCzJN0g5NHQ" target="_blank">present perfect progressive</a>). As you meet each goal, color in one of the stars.&nbsp;

<img alt="rocket to the moon" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5056/content_Notebook_Rocket-to-the-moon_Emily-Bryson.png" />

<h2>3. Reflecting</h2>

When we reflect, we look back at our learning. It can be helpful to ask ourselves these questions at the end of every class:

<ul>
	<li>What did I learn?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>How did I feel?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What worked well?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What do I want to do differently next time?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What questions do I have?&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

A fun way to do this is by drawing a rose, a bud, and a thorn in your journal. Next to the rose, write something good that happened. Beside the bud, write something that you are excited about or an idea you had. And by the thorn, write something that you need to work on or get help with.&nbsp;

You can draw the rose, bud, and thorn yourself, or print this <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/warm-up-activity-for-social-emotional-learning" target="_blank">worksheet</a>.

<img alt="Rose, bud, thorn step by step Emily Bryson" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5057/content_Rose-bud-thorn-step-by-step-Emily-Bryson.png" />

<img alt="Rose, bud, Thorn, Ellii activity" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5058/content_Rose-Bud-Thorn-Activity_Ellii.jpg" />

<h2>4. Daily diary</h2>

Every day, we do a lot of things. Keeping a diary of your day in English is a fantastic way to practice the language. You could even sketchnote your day by adding simple drawings. Try to use grammar or vocabulary that you have learned recently or need to practice.&nbsp;

<h2>5. Writing prompts</h2>

Starting a daily journaling habit means that you will spend 5&ndash;10 minutes a day writing in English. Over time, that adds up to 35&ndash;70 minutes per week, 2&ndash;5 hours per month, and 30&ndash;60 hours per year. Just think how much your English&nbsp;can improve in that time!

But sometimes, finding things to write about can be hard. Here are 35 ideas to get you started: 
 
<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/journal-prompts-for-writing-practice" target="_blank">Journal Prompts for Writing Practice</a>

<h2>6. Ideas</h2>

Some of the best ideas never happen because we don&#39;t write them down! Keep notes of your ideas and things you want to try in your journal&mdash;for example, a podcast you want to listen to or TV show in English that you want to watch. That way you can look at the&nbsp;list when you have time&nbsp;and choose one of them.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
Have you tried journaling to help you learn English? Which of these ideas do you want to try? Share your ideas and advice for other learners in the comments.&nbsp;
</blockquote>

6 Ways to Use Journaling to Learn English Fast

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Most people know that English is&nbsp;the most common&nbsp;language&nbsp;in the world. In fact, it has 1.5 billion speakers!&nbsp;Travel anywhere by plane and the announcements will be in English and in the local language. Meet people&nbsp;from different countries on vacation and you&#39;ll probably all speak together in English.

But sometimes it might feel like English belongs to so-called &quot;native&quot;&nbsp;speakers. This is not true.

<blockquote>
<h2>English is global and it belongs to everyone.&nbsp;</h2>
</blockquote>

In fact, 80% of English language users are NOT so-called &quot;native&quot; speakers! Most people who use English learned it through hard work and practice and by using helpful resources like Ellii&#39;s.

In this blog post, I will share some ideas that will (hopefully) make you more confident with your language use and help you to OWN your very own personal voice. Because English belongs to you.&nbsp;

<h2>The problem with trying to sound like a &quot;native&quot;&nbsp;speaker</h2>

In my opinion, there are many problems with the terms &quot;native&quot;&nbsp;and &quot;non-native&quot; (and with wanting to speak like one).

Here are some problems:

<h3>1. Who really is a &quot;native&quot; speaker?&nbsp;</h3>

When people talk about so-called &quot;native&#39;&quot; speakers, they often think about people from countries like the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.

However, there are actually 75 English-speaking countries in the world. And that number is growing. People often forget that countries like the Philippines, Singapore, Kenya, Dominica, Malta,&nbsp;and Hong Kong all have English&nbsp;as one of their official languages.&nbsp;

There are also many countries around the world that have lots of&nbsp;fluent English language users. For example, <a href="https://www.worlddata.info/asia/pakistan/index.php#google_vignette">46% of people in Pakistan speak English</a>.

<h3>2. &quot;Native&quot;&nbsp;speakers do not speak &quot;perfect&quot;&nbsp;English.&nbsp;</h3>

There is no &quot;perfect&quot;&nbsp;way to speak English. This is true for all languages. Think about your own language. Ask yourself:

<ul>
	<li>How many different countries speak it?</li>
	<li>What different words and phrases do people use in different places?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What accents are there? Which of these do you find difficult to understand?&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

The fact is that English is spoken differently everywhere. There are many different Englishes: American, Scottish, Nigerian, Caribbean... The most important thing is to be understood.&nbsp;

<h3>3. &quot;Native&quot; speakers are harder to understand.&nbsp;</h3>

English languages users around the world often say that it is easier to speak with other people whose first language is not English. So-called &quot;native&quot; speakers speak quickly,&nbsp;use local words (e.g., slang), and idioms, and they often have accents that can be harder to understand.&nbsp;

They also don&#39;t always understand that it takes two people to have a successful conversation. They might believe the hard work is for the English language learner.&nbsp;But really, they need to slow down, leave spaces between their words, and choose their words more carefully.

<h2>So, do you really want to sound like a &quot;native&quot;&nbsp;speaker?&nbsp;</h2>

The reality is that there is no &quot;perfect&quot; way to speak English. It&#39;s more important to understand and be understood.&nbsp;

Here are some ways to OWN English, and make it yours:&nbsp;

<h3>1. Love your &quot;mistakes.&quot;</h3>

Mistakes are fantastic. They help us to learn. They can also become part of our own special way of using English. Unless you are taking a test, it doesn&#39;t really matter if you say&nbsp;&quot;in the bus&quot;&nbsp;instead of &quot;on the bus.&quot; Everyone knows what you mean! Enjoy learning new expressions and don&#39;t be afraid to try them out. Laugh&nbsp;and play with the language. A new way of expressing something can often sound poetic to those who speak English as their first language&nbsp;because it feels fresh and new.

<h3>2. Stop apologizing!</h3>

There is never any need to say &quot;Sorry about&nbsp;my English.&quot;&nbsp;You are learning. You are trying. You are getting better every day.&nbsp;

<h3>3. Use it for things you love.</h3>

When you enjoy doing something, you want to do it more. So find ways to use it for things you love. Sing, make videos, read recipes,&nbsp;post or comment&nbsp;on social media, or reply to this blog post.

<h3>4. Be yourself!</h3>

You can only be you and you will always be you. The way you speak English is also part of you and your life. Be yourself and make your own English!

To practice your English on your own, check out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.englishapp.com/">EnglishApp</a>&nbsp;by Ellii.&nbsp;Or find out if your school&nbsp;has access to&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/solo">Ellii Solo</a>.

<blockquote>
How are you owning your English? Share your thoughts!
</blockquote>

English Belongs to Everyone: Here's How to OWN Your English!

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<blockquote>
<h2>When does a joke become a &quot;dad&quot; joke?</h2>

When it becomes apparent.
</blockquote>

<h2>What&rsquo;s a &ldquo;dad joke&rdquo;?</h2>

A &quot;dad joke&quot;&nbsp;is a simple joke that is easy to deliver and understand. It is usually a one-liner/pun or a simple joke with one question and an easy answer that is often a play on words. It is called a &quot;dad joke&quot; because it will&nbsp;make a child groan. (So bad, Dad!)&nbsp;Dad jokes are also&nbsp;usually clean for all ages.

You won&#39;t get any belly laughs with a dad joke,&nbsp;but hopefully someone at least cracks a smile.

<h3>12 &quot;dad jokes&quot; to tell this Father&#39;s Day</h3>

Are you a dad? Choose your favorite joke and share it with your child(ren) this Father&#39;s Day. You can also write one of these jokes inside a Father&#39;s Day card or tell it at a Father&#39;s Day gathering.

1. What do you call a priest that becomes a lawyer?

a father-in-law

<hr />
2. What did the buffalo say to his son when he left for college?

bison

<hr />
3. Why did your&nbsp;old man fall in a well?

Because he couldn&rsquo;t see that well.

<hr />
4. What do you call a fish with no eyes?

a fsh

<hr />
5. What do you call a sad strawberry?

a blueberry

<hr />
6. What did the paper say to the pencil?

Write on!

<hr />
7. Why can&rsquo;t your nose be 12 inches long?

Because then it would be a foot.

<hr />
9. The past, the present, and the future walked into a bar. It was tense.

<hr />
10. Why was six afraid of seven?

Because seven ate nine.

<hr />
11. What do Alexander the Great and Winnie the Pooh have in common?

They have the same middle name.

<hr />
12. Did you hear about the two people who stole a calendar?&nbsp;They each got six months.

<h2>What to say after hearing a joke</h2>

No matter how bad a joke is, the person telling the joke&nbsp;expects a response. Laughing is the best way to respond, but here are some things you can say:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>I like that one.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>That&#39;s hilarious!</li>
	<li>My dad would love that joke.</li>
	<li>I will tell that one to my dad.</li>
	<li>I have to remember that one.</li>
	<li>That was&nbsp;terrible.</li>
	<li>That was so bad.</li>
	<li>I&#39;m going to pretend I didn&#39;t hear that.</li>
</ul>

<h2>What to say if you don&#39;t understand a joke</h2>

We hope you understand the simple dad jokes above, but it&#39;s not always easy to follow or understand longer or narrative jokes, especially in a new language! If you don&#39;t understand a joke, you can say the following:

<ul>
	<li>I don&#39;t get it.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Give me a minute.</li>
	<li>Say that again?&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
	<li>That went above my head.</li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
Do you have a good &quot;dad joke&quot; to share? Make sure it has all the qualities of a dad joke. Then share it in the comments! Practice responding to jokes too!
</blockquote>

12 "Dad Jokes" for Father's Day

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Listen and read along.

<div class="ckeditor-html5-audio" style="text-align: center;">
<audio controls="controls" controlslist="nodownload" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/3257/camping-post.mp3">&nbsp;</audio>
</div>

When summer arrives and the weather gets warm, people all around the world&nbsp;eagerly pack&nbsp;their bags, hop in the car or on a bus or train, and head into nature for some quality camping time. But not all camping experiences are alike! Here are a few questions to consider before you venture outdoors&nbsp;so that you can have the best possible experience,&nbsp;whether you prefer glamping or roughing it.

<h2>How &ldquo;outdoorsy&rdquo; are you really?</h2>

Some people love sleeping under the stars. Others prefer spending time outside without forsaking the&nbsp;creature comforts of modern amenities. The good news is that both perspectives are valid. If the thought of sleeping outside among the critters makes your skin crawl, consider renting a yurt with electricity, heating, and air-conditioning&nbsp;or maybe a trailer with its own cooking facilities. On the other hand, you might be someone who thrives on reconnecting with the wilderness. For you, a single pup tent or hammock might be enough!

<h2>Who&rsquo;s invited?</h2>

When you imagine yourself camping, who are you with? Since camping isn&rsquo;t everyone&rsquo;s cup of tea, it&rsquo;s a good idea to invite people who will enjoy the experience. Your high-maintenance cousin might not be the best person to pitch a tent with, no matter how well you get along.

<h2>What&rsquo;s your ideal setting?</h2>

Maybe you live in a rural area with plenty of great camping spots around. If you&rsquo;re more of a city slicker, however, you might have to drive a couple of hours to get to your location of choice. Decide how far you&rsquo;re willing to go&nbsp;and what sort of environment you&rsquo;d prefer. Do you want a lake or river to swim in, or are you more focused on finding great hiking trails? Do dense forests make you nervous&nbsp;or are you a fan of the shade they provide?

Considering these questions&nbsp;before you set out will help you have a better overall camping experience. If you have any camping stories to share, go ahead and post them in the comments. We&rsquo;d love to hear them!

<h2>Vocabulary</h2>

<ul>
	<li>glamping: a luxurious version of camping&nbsp;(&quot;glamour&quot; + &quot;camping&quot;)</li>
	<li>rough&nbsp;it: to live without the usual comforts of everyday life</li>
	<li>creature comforts: small luxuries that make you comfortable</li>
	<li>critters: small animals that live outside</li>
	<li>make your skin crawl: to give you a creepy, uncomfortable feeling</li>
	<li>pup tent: a small tent for one&nbsp;person</li>
	<li>not one&#39;s&nbsp;cup of tea: something one doesn&#39;t enjoy</li>
	<li>high-maintenance: needing a lot of special attention</li>
	<li>city slicker: someone who lives in an urban enviroment</li>
</ul>

Camping: Getting the Most Out of an Outdoor Adventure

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Do you know the expression &quot;one in a million&quot;? It means someone or something is rare or special. Ali is one of these people.

We learned about Ali from her father, an English language teacher named Harry Waters. He shared this video of Ali on his LinkedIn page. One in a million, right?

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/opRvOjhliRc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

<a href="https://www.kidsagainstplastic.co.uk/1millionlitterpick" target="_blank">Ali has a huge goal</a>. She wants to pick up one million pieces of litter before her next birthday. She also wants to raise awareness about plastic consumption.

How can you help Ali? Here are two simple ways:

<h3>1. Learn about the dangers of plastic consumption</h3>

Watch Ali&#39;s video above and discuss it with your class. Then read about Ali&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kidsagainstplastic.co.uk/1millionlitterpick">campaign</a>. Why would you describe Ali as one in a million? 
 
Ellii has a few lessons you can use to learn more about this environmental issue. You can ask your teacher to share one of these lessons with you.

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1285-ocean-garbage">Ocean Garbage</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4031-un-plastics-treaty">UN Plastics Treaty</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4380-trashion-show" target="_blank">Trashion Show</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1212-garbage-solutions" target="_blank">Garbage Solutions</a></li>
</ul>

In our Famous Things section, we also have a lesson on <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1462-plastic">Plastic</a>. In this lesson, you can learn about the history of this material and find out when&nbsp;the plastic craze&nbsp;began. At the end of the lesson, you can share a personal response using the speaking task.

 
<a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1462-plastic"><img alt="speaking task, plastic consumption" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3252/content_content_Screen_Shot_2023-06-08_at_11.33.20_AM.png" /></a>

Ali also cares about the <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/global-issues/sustainable-development-goals">Sustainable Development Goals</a>. You can watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Wdt37YWyU&amp;list=PLuqJWaXJtKo_kd5lJk0yb2GRd1GKR3Faf" target="_blank">Ali&#39;s videos and tips </a>about these goals on&nbsp;YouTube.

<h3>2. Pick up litter (&amp; log it)</h3>

Ali needs your help to carefully dispose of litter (especially dangerous plastics) in your area. Your class can join this challenge together, or you can do your part individually.

<ol>
	<li><a href="https://www.kidsagainstplastic.co.uk/apphelp">Download the Litter Logging App</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.kidsagainstplastic.co.uk/alismap">Log your litter clean-up and get on Ali&#39;s&nbsp;Map</a></li>
</ol>

<h2>Glossary</h2>

<ul>
	<li>one in a million: a very special person or thing</li>
	<li>campaign: an organized plan to complete a goal</li>
	<li>consumption: the usage of a resource</li>
	<li>dispose: to throw out</li>
	<li>litter: garbage</li>
	<li>log: to record (write down) an action or item on a form</li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
Do you know someone who could be described as &quot;one in a million&quot;? Tell us about this special person in the comments!&nbsp;
</blockquote>

One in a Million: Plastic Litter Challenge

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Tina Turner was a music legend who touched the hearts of so many, including three young girls who&#39;ve grown into strong women here at&nbsp;Ellii.

<hr />
When I was a little girl, my parents played Tina Turner tapes in the car all the time (yes, cassette tapes, haha!), so, of course, I became a fan of&nbsp;hers too.

When I was about seven or eight&nbsp;years old, she was playing a concert in my city and I really wanted to go, but it sold out fast and I was so disappointed.

One day my mother and I were shopping at The Bay, and I was complaining because we couldn&rsquo;t get tickets to the concert. Luckily for us, the store clerk overheard us and he just happened to be a ticket scalper. He quietly approached us and sold us four tickets to see Tina Turner. And not just tickets, but floor seats in the third or fourth row!

My parents, my friend, and I went, and I was totally mesmerized by her. She was amazing, but I was too young to appreciate what a legend she was. That was the first concert I ever went to, and it&rsquo;s such a special memory that I will never forget!

I was so sad to hear about her passing.

&mdash;Alison from Ellii

<hr />
I loved Tina Turner. One of my high school friends, who just recently died of cancer, used to crank Tina up in the car and sing along at the top of her lungs as she careened around mountain curves.

It&#39;s a great memory because my friend was very quiet, but Tina brought out the animal in her.&nbsp;

&mdash;Ann from Ellii

<hr />
My first concert was the Private Dancer tour when I was 10 years old. My dad took me, and I remember her prancing around the stage in her white tank and jeans. She was incredible! My dad just passed last July, so it warms my heart to know he now has a front row seat.&nbsp;

&mdash;Michelle M. from Ellii

<hr />
<blockquote>Add your own special Tina Turner memory in the comments and help us build a special tribute to the Queen of Rock &amp; Roll.</blockquote>

<h2>Glossary</h2>

<ul>
	<li>sell out: to sell all of the tickets to a show</li>
	<li>overhear: to hear other people talking in a conversation you are not involved in</li>
	<li>mesmerized: to be unable to stop looking at something amazing</li>
	<li>scalper: a person who resells tickets for more than the original cost</li>
	<li>crank up: to turn the sound up high</li>
	<li>at the top of one&#39;s lungs: very loudly</li>
	<li>careen: to move quickly and almost uncontrollably</li>
	<li>tour: a series of performances in different locations</li>
	<li>prance: to walk around with a dance in one&#39;s step</li>
	<li>tank (top): a sleeveless shirt</li>
	<li>passing / pass (away): death, to die</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h2>Related Lesson</h2>

<h2 class="circleThumb"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4571-tina-turner-simply-the-best"><img alt="Tina Turner" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3215/content_133_Tina-Turner-Simply-the-Best.png" /></a></h2>

<h2><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4571-tina-turner-simply-the-best">Tina Turner: Simply the Best</a></h2>
</div>

<h2>Listen to Tina Turner</h2>

This playlist features all of the music mentioned in the <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4570-tina-turner-simply-the-best">advanced</a> version of Ellii&#39;s Tina Turner lesson. 
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/1KjnpM0cGZHvQgMM2eNAoe?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe>

Our Heartfelt Tina Turner Memories

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Listen and read along.

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Unless you grew up in the UK, you&rsquo;ve likely never heard of cockney rhyming slang. This unique way of speaking can be confusing to those unfamiliar with it. However, if you ever find yourself in&nbsp;London, you&rsquo;ll have a great time piecing conversations together&mdash;that is, once you crack the code!

<h2>What does &quot;cockney&quot; mean?</h2>

&quot;Cockney&quot; refers to a person who is from&nbsp;the East End of London, England. According to popular tradition, a true cockney is someone who lives close enough to hear the bells of the Church of St. Mary-Le-Bow&nbsp;in an area known as Cheapside.

Stereotypical cockneys are working-class people, and the term was originally meant as an insult. However, nowadays cockneys use the title with pride.

The cockney accent is very different from what people call &ldquo;the Queen&rsquo;s English,&rdquo; which is considered an upper-class way of speaking. But what truly separates cockney English from typical London English is the slang. According to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cockney">Britannica.com</a>, &ldquo;There are as many as 150 terms that are recognized instantly by any rhyming slang user.&rdquo; Below are just a few&nbsp;commonly used phrases and their meanings.

<h2>Common phrases</h2>

<ul>
	<li>apples and pears = stairs</li>
	<li>army and navy = gravy</li>
	<li>bees and honey = money</li>
	<li>bottle and stopper = copper (policeman)</li>
	<li>box of toys =&nbsp;noise</li>
	<li>brown bread =&nbsp;dead</li>
	<li>bubble bath =&nbsp;laugh</li>
	<li>borrow and beg =&nbsp;egg</li>
	<li>currant bun =&nbsp;sun</li>
	<li>cut and carried =&nbsp;married</li>
	<li>dog and bone =&nbsp;phone</li>
	<li>early hours =&nbsp;flowers</li>
	<li>light and dark =&nbsp;park</li>
	<li>loaf of bread =&nbsp;head</li>
	<li>lump of ice =&nbsp;advice</li>
	<li>mince pies =&nbsp;eyes</li>
	<li>on the floor =&nbsp;poor</li>
	<li>pleasure and pain =&nbsp;rain</li>
	<li>china plate =&nbsp;mate (friend)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Give it a try!</h2>

Now that you&rsquo;ve had a taste of it, try translating this paragraph:

Oi,*&nbsp;china plate! Let me give you a lump of ice. When talking to a pretty girl, look her in the mince pies and make her bubble bath. On the floor? No problem! Pick her a nice bunch of early hours. Calling her up on the dog and bone and taking her on a nice walk in the light and dark doesn&rsquo;t cost any bees and honey either&mdash;but make sure the currant bun is shining! There&rsquo;s nothing like pleasure and pain to ruin a good date. Lastly, just use your loaf of bread and&nbsp;you&rsquo;ll be cut and carried in no time!

*&quot;Oi&quot; is a typical&nbsp;cockney exclamation.

<h2>What do you think?</h2>

Could you ever get used to speaking in cockney rhyming slang? Does your first language have anything similar? Let us know in the comments!

What Is Cockney Rhyming Slang?

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Note to students: This&nbsp;article uses Canadian spelling.&nbsp;Listen and follow along with the article. Then&nbsp;take the student challenge. A glossary of keywords is available at the end.

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Red Dress Day, observed annually in Canada on May 5, raises&nbsp;awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and&nbsp;two-spirit people.&nbsp;This date serves as a reminder of the ongoing violence and systemic issues faced by Indigenous communities.&nbsp;

<h2>The origin of Red Dress Day</h2>

In 2010, Jaime Black, a M&eacute;tis artist from Canada, created a powerful&nbsp;installation of hanging empty&nbsp;red dresses.&nbsp;She called the installation the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jaimeblackartist.com/exhibitions/">REDress Project</a>. It was first shown at the University of Winnipeg&nbsp;in 2011 and has travelled throughout Canada and to Washington, DC, since then.&nbsp;This exhibition inspired the observance of Red Dress Day.

The US also commemorates this day,&nbsp;sharing the objective of raising awareness about the alarming rates of violence faced by Indigenous women and girls in America.

<h2>Why a red dress?</h2>

The colour red was chosen because it represents the bloodshed and violence endured by Indigenous women throughout history&nbsp;while also drawing attention to the need for justice and action.&nbsp;By wearing red on this day, people across the country show their solidarity and support for the families affected by these tragedies.

<h2>Increasing awareness and advocacy</h2>

The primary goal of Red Dress Day is to raise public awareness about the high rates of violence faced by Indigenous women through organized events, including marches and educational campaigns. The hope is that increased awareness will lead to policy changes, improved support services, and prevention initiatives. 
 
Red Dress Day, like <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/orange-shirt-day">Orange Shirt Day</a>, serves as a platform for healing, remembrance, and support for the families who continue to mourn the loss of their loved ones. Through shared grief and resilience, communities can find solace and strength while also demanding justice.

Glossary

<ul>
	<li>systemic: relating to a system</li>
	<li>alarming: surprising (in a negative way)</li>
	<li>solidarity: support that shows you are in something together</li>
	<li>policy change: a change to a rule or law</li>
	<li>prevention initiative:&nbsp;a new idea with a goal of stopping something from happening again&nbsp;</li>
	<li>mourn: to feel and express sadness over a loss or death</li>
	<li>two-spirit person: an individual who embodies a blend of male and female spirits</li>
	<li>resilience: strength during difficult times</li>
	<li>solace: comfort during times of sadness</li>
</ul>

<h2>Learn more</h2>

Are you a newcomer honouring a commitment to learn more about the treatment of Indigenous people? Ask your teacher to share Ellii&#39;s True Grammar Stories lesson&nbsp;<a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3363-indigenous-people-simple-present-past">Indigenous People: Simple Present &amp; Past</a>, which&nbsp;includes the true story of&nbsp;Chantel Moore,&nbsp;an Indigenous woman from the Tla‑o‑qui‑aht First Nation, who&nbsp;died at the hands of police in New Brunswick, Canada. Ellii also has a Holidays &amp; Events lesson where you&nbsp;can learn about <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3783-national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation">National Day for Truth and Reconciliation</a> (Orange Shirt Day).&nbsp;

<blockquote>
Challenge: Wear red on May 5. Then ask a friend this question: Do you know why I&#39;m wearing red today? How will you answer? Leave a comment summarizing what you will say.
</blockquote>

Red Dress Day: Honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIWG)

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Spring is back in the Northern Hemisphere and the world is coming alive again. It&rsquo;s a time for blooming flowers, nice weather, and renewed energy.&nbsp;What better time to clean your house? It&#39;s common knowledge that spending time in clean, organized spaces is good for mental health. Here are some spring cleaning tips to bring freshness to your living space, no matter where you live! And, to kill two birds with one stone, why not learn some idioms at the same time?

<h2>Make a donation</h2>

Take a page out of organizing consultant&nbsp;Marie Kondo&rsquo;s book and clear your clutter&nbsp;by donating or giving away items that do not &ldquo;spark joy.&rdquo;&nbsp;This might include clothes you haven&rsquo;t worn in a while, books you&rsquo;ve already read, or knickknacks&nbsp;you just don&rsquo;t love anymore.

<h2>Pop open a Coke</h2>

Nobody likes scrubbing the toilet, but here&#39;s a trick that won&#39;t require you to use too much elbow grease. If you have rust rings&nbsp;in your toilet bowl, pouring a full can of cola over them can help get rid of them! Pour the soda around the rim so it covers the entire bowl, wait for an hour, and then scrub and flush. The result should be clean as a whistle!

<h2>Have a freezer feast</h2>

If you&rsquo;re the kind of person who throws everything in the freezer until there&rsquo;s no room left, invite some friends over and have a party. After you&#39;ve prepared the food&nbsp;that&rsquo;s been stashed away over the last few months, you and your pals can enjoy pigging out.

<h2>Get that hair out of there</h2>

We love our pets, but they sure do shed. Hair-removing rollers don&rsquo;t always cut it, and they can be expensive. Luckily, you can remove pet hair from furniture with something you probably already have in your home&mdash;a pair of rubber gloves! Just slip them on and run your hand over those hairy surfaces.

<h2>Get rid of sink stink</h2>

If your kitchen has a garbage disposal, then you know those things can get awfully smelly.&nbsp;Toss a few lemon rinds in there and turn the disposal on for 30 seconds. Add some cold water&nbsp;and inhale the freshness!

Do you have any favorite cleaning tips? If so, we&rsquo;d love to hear them. Leave us a comment and share the knowledge. Happy cleaning!

<h1>Glossary</h1>

<ul>
	<li>kill two birds with one stone: to&nbsp;achieve two things at once</li>
	<li>elbow grease:&nbsp;physical effort</li>
	<li>clean as a whistle: very clean</li>
	<li>take a page out of someone&#39;s book: to follow someone&#39;s example</li>
	<li>pig out: to eat a lot of food at one time</li>
	<li>not cut it: to not be good enough to do something</li>
</ul>

Make a Clean Sweep: Learn Some Tips (& Idioms) for Spring Cleaning

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This post is in the For Students area of our blog. If you are a teacher, you can share it with your students for extra reading practice. The audio features an Irish accent.

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St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day may have originated in Ireland, but it is incredibly popular in the United States and Canada. Why? Because many North Americans are of Irish descent, which means that their ancestors came from Ireland.

<h2>What brought the first Irish people to North America?</h2>

Before the US gained independence, it was a collection of 13 British colonies. Many Irish people left their homeland because of religious conflict and poverty. Some of them came to the colonies as part of the British army, and some were indentured servants.

There were so many Irish people in the colonies by 1762 that New York City held its first St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day parade!

<h2>A second wave</h2>

In the early 19th century, the potato had become&nbsp;a staple of the Irish diet. However, in 1845, the potato crops in Ireland began to fail, leading to starvation. This period was known as the Irish Potato Famine,&nbsp;and it brought another wave of Irish immigrants to North America.

Because Ireland and Canada were both part of Britain at the time, tickets to Canada were less expensive than fares to the US. While&nbsp;many Irish chose to call Canada home,&nbsp;others&nbsp;found the financial resources to make their way to the US.&nbsp;The transatlantic journey was difficult. In the mid-1800s, it took 12 weeks&nbsp;to cross the ocean by boat.

<h2>What&#39;s it like now?</h2>

Nowadays in the US, approximately 26% of the population has&nbsp;Irish ancestors or relatives, and&nbsp;more than 13% of Canadians&nbsp;are of Irish heritage. It&rsquo;s no wonder St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day is so popular in these places!

<blockquote>
Writing challenge: Write a comment using the words &quot;ancestors&quot; and &quot;heritage&quot; to describe something interesting about your family or culture.
</blockquote>

<h2>Glossary</h2>

<ul>
	<li>ancestors: family members from the past</li>
	<li>indentured servants: people who had to work without a salary for seven years to pay for their travel to America</li>
	<li>famine: an extreme shortage of food that leads to widespread hunger</li>
	<li>heritage: the culture&nbsp;and traditions of a person&rsquo;s parents and grandparents</li>
</ul>

Why Do North Americans Love St. Patrick's Day?

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This post is in our For Students category and was written for English learners. If you are an English teacher, you can share a link and invite students to take Ellii&#39;s Grammar Day challenge.

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National Grammar Day is on March 4 (pronounced March fourth). Ellii&#39;s (formerly ESL Library&#39;s) writers and editors have been celebrating National&nbsp;Grammar Day for several years!&nbsp;

On Grammar Day, we&nbsp;honor English learners like you who work hard to improve your communication skills, one grammar target at a time!&nbsp;Understanding the rules of grammar will help you speak and write more clearly and effectively.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;Language is something to be celebrated, and March 4 is the perfect day to do it. It&rsquo;s not only a date, it&rsquo;s an imperative: March forth on March 4 to speak well, write well, and help others do the same!&rdquo;

&mdash;National Grammar Day website
</blockquote>

<h2>6 Common English Errors</h2>

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March 4* was chosen for National Grammar Day because the words &quot;forth&quot; (forward) and &quot;fourth&quot; (the number four in a series) are often confused.

March forth on the fourth (4th) of March.

*When using ordinal numbers (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) as part of a&nbsp;date in a&nbsp;sentence, most grammar gurus&nbsp;recommend leaving the short forms out and just writing the number after the calendar month. For example: March 4, National Grammar Day, is on&nbsp;Saturday.&nbsp;

To celebrate National Grammar Day this year, we&#39;ve collected six more sets of words&nbsp;that are often confused (even&nbsp;writers and speakers whose first language is English confuse&nbsp;these). Do you know the difference between the words in this list? Click on the links for Tanya&#39;s&nbsp;tips on getting these right.

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="correct"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/so-vs-too">So Vs. Too</a></li>
	<li class="correct"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/look-like-vs-like">Look Like Vs. Like</a></li>
	<li class="correct"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/affect-vs-effect">Affect Vs. Effect</a></li>
	<li class="correct"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/make-vs-do">Make Vs. Do</a></li>
	<li class="correct"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/aw-vs-awe">Aw Vs. Awe</a></li>
	<li class="correct"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/teaching-tips-on-its-and-its">Its Vs. It&#39;s</a></li>
</ul>

Speaking of grammar...Did you know that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ellii">Ellii&#39;s YouTube</a> channel has free grammar videos for English learners to review the most common grammar targets? Here is just one example of a video from this playlist.&nbsp;

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<blockquote>
Grammar Day Challenge: Choose one of the word pairs above and write an example sentence that contains both words. Or, if you really want a challenge, write a paragraph or dialogue using all 12 words! As a bonus, try using &quot;forth&quot; and &quot;fourth&quot; too.
</blockquote>